Suspension for drawers and analogous devices



y 1933- v. A. GRONBERG ET AL 1,910,208

SUSPENSION FOR DRAWERS AND ANALOGOUS DEVICE Filed July 30, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l y 1933- v. A. GRONBERG ET AL 1,910,208

SUSPENSION FOR DRAWERS AND ANALOGOUS DEVICE Filed July 30, 1932 2 SheetsSheet 2 Xf AM Kid 177734731?! Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VIUlOB A. enemas AND JAMES B. JONES, OF JAKESTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS 1'0 '1' mar. CONSTRUCTION comm, OI JAIESTOWN, NEW YORK SIMON II'OB DRAWEBS AND ANALOGOUS DEVICES Application am Jul so,

This invention relates to that type of progressive or extensible suspensions or guide supports for drawers and other sliding devices, in which the slidin device is ar- 6 ran ed to travel and is gui ed on an interme iate support or guide which, in turn, travels on a stationary guide so that when the drawer is pulled out, said travelling support will also move outwardly and proper- 10 ly guide the drawer and support it horizontally even when pulled out to substantially its full length. In this specification, for the sake of brevity and clarity, the sliding device will be called a drawer, but it is not thereby intended to limit the invention to use with drawers, since it is also adapted for supporting and guiding other sliding devices.

Metallic progressive suspensions of this sort commonly comprise a stationary track formed by channel or flanged bars located at opposite sides of the drawer and between which the drawer moves, drawer rails or bars fixed to the opposite sides of the drawer, and a travelling support includin track bars interposed between and movabe relatively to the drawer and stationary track bars, suitable rollers or the like bem arranged to provide rolling anti-friction arings between the drawer, intermediate and stationary tracks. In those progressive sus pensions where the bearing ro lers or elements are mounted on the intermediate support, which has been found to be a desirable arrangement, po$essing certain reco ized advantages, unless the devices are 0 relatively complicated and ex nsive constructions, the rollers are usual y narrow and located so as to bear and throw the weight on restricted portions of one or another of the track bars at a distance laterally away from their points of anchorage, or the portions thereof which are fixed to the stationary support or drawer. This results in wear and the deformation of such track bars to such an extent as to interfere with the free, easy operation of the device and to materially shorten its life.

One object of this invention is to provide a progressive suspension of improved con 1982. Serial No. 626,773.

struction which will overcome the above noted objections and will insure the free,

struction which will be strong and durable and eflicient in operation; also to construct suspensions of this type so that the rollers which largely support the weight of the drawer or load are disposed and formed so as to travel and bear on wider areas of the stationary tracks and closer to their points of attachment to their support and thereby reduce wear, prevent deformation of the stationary tracks and increase the life of the sus ensions.

urther objects of the invention are to provide a stop device of improved construction for arresting the drawer at the end of its outward travel; and to produce a susnsion device for drawers and other slidmg devices which has the other features of improvement and advant e herein described and set forth in the c aims.

In the accompanying drawin Fi 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectiona elevation of a metallic drawer cabinet or case provided with drawer suspensions embodyin my invention.

Fig. 2 1s a longitudinal, sectional elevation of one of the suspensions removed from the cabinet, the drawer rail beingomitted.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation on an enlarged scale on line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2, but on a larger scale, and showing the inner end of the intermediate travelling support in its inner position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of one of the track bars of the intermediate travellin support.

Fig. 6 is an enlarge transverse sectional elevation through the suspension on the plane of line 6-6, Fig. 2. v

A, Fig. 1, represents a portion of a drawer case or cabinet and B two drawers slidably mounted therein bymeans of drawer suspensions embodying my improvements. The case or cabinet and the drawers may be of any usual or suitable construction, sheet metal case and drawers being shown in the drawin As ilf ustrated, the drawer suspension for each drawer is built as a com lete separate unit adapted to be placed an stationarily secured as such in the case or other stationary frame or support in which the drawer is to be mounted. This unit com rises a stationary track or guide formed parallel rails or bars 10 disposed longitu ally at opposite sides of the drawer B and rigidly connected by transverse bars 11 which may be welded or otherwise rigidl attached to the bars 10, preferabl at eir opposite ends; a pair of longitu inal drawer rails or bars 12 which are fixed by weldin or otherwise to the opposite side .wa of the drawer; and an intermediate, travellin track or support comprising a pair of Ion tudinal rails arranged to travel between t e drawer and stationary rails 10 and 12 at each side of the drawer. The 0 posite travelling support rails are prefera ly rigidly connected so as to be retained in the intended parallel spaced relation, as by transverse end bars 14 welded or otherwisesecured to the bars 13. The stationary track or guide may be stationarily secured in the cabinet A in any suitable way, as for example, by means of lugs a and a at opposite ends of the stationar rails 10 arranged to engage in slots (1 an a respectively in upright bars or parts a of the cabinet.

Preferably, the stationary rails 10 are formed by metal channel bars having vertical webs and top and bottom flan es projecting from the webs inwardly towar the drawer; the drawer rails consist of metal an le bars having vertical flanges welded or ot erwise rigidly fastened to the opposite sides of the drawer and outwardly projecting bottom flanges; and the travelling support rails 13 consist of metal bars of substantially the cross sectional Z-shape shown, having a transverse, horizontal web 15 and an upper flange 16 extending upwardly from the outer edge of the web 15 and a lower flange 17 extending downwardly from the inner edge of the web 15. As shown, the lower flanges 17 have inturned or flanged lower edges 18 to which the transverse connecting bars 14 are attached.

Each rail 13 of the travelling support preferably carries three lower rollers 19, 20 and 21 suitably journalled thereon and arranged to roll on the bottom flange of the adjacent stationary rail 10, the two pairs of rollers 19 and 21 being located respectively at the outer and inner end portions of the travelling support, and the remaining pair of rollers 20 being located between the ends of the support in such a position as to be substantially half-way between the inner and outer ends of the drawer when the latter and the travelling support are in their innermost pofltions. In addition, each rail 13 of the travelling support is provided with an upper roller 22 at its inner end adapted to re against the underface of the to flange of the companion stationa rail, an an upper roller 23 located above t e middle lower roller 20. The horizontal flanges of the drawer rails 12 extend between the lower and upper rollers of the travelling su port and are adapted to bear downwar y on the lower rollers 19, 20 and 21, and upwardly against the upper rollers 22 and 23. The upper rollers 22 and 23 and the outer, lower rollers 19 are preferably provided with ball bearin s by which they are mounted on the travelling support.

The lower middle rollers 20.in the construction shown turn freely about stud axles 24 rigidly secured to the lower flan es 17 of the travelling rails 13, and referab y the axle holes of the rollers are su ciently larger than the axles 24 to permit some vertical play of the rollers 20 on their axles. The axles shown have enlarged outer ends seated in circular depressions 25 in the outer faces of the rollers 20 whereby the rollers are held on their axles. It will be noted that the lower rollers 19, 20 and 21 project through openings in the transverse web of the travelling rails 13 for engagement with the drawer rails 12 and that in the case of the middle lower rollers 2), they are positioned so that their outer ends project outwardly to or beyond the outer faces of the upper flanges 16 of the rails 13 and substantially into contact with the inner faces of the vertical webs of the stationary rails 10, onl the necessary running clearance being le between the vertical webs of the rails 10 and the rollers. To enable such positioning of the rollers, the upper flanges 16 as well as the transverse webs 15 of these travelling rails 13 are slotted or cut out for the passage of the rollers, as indicated at 26, (see Figs. 5 and 6). The rollers 20 can project outwardl beyond the rails 13 as far as will permit 0 a running clearance between the rollers and the Webs of the stationary rails. Therefore, when thus located, the rollers 20 will bear at their outer edges on the lower flanges of the stationary rails in the closest possible relation to the vertical planes of the attaching or supporting webs or portions of the rails. This arrangement also permits the use of wider or longer rollers 20 having a wider bearing area on the faces of the rails on which they roll, thus resulting in longer life and less wear on the parts and reventing deflection or deformation of the ower flanges of the stationary rails, since the weight transmitted by the rollers to the rails is not confined to narrow paths near the free edges of the flanges or spaced from the webs or attaching portions of the rails,

but may be distributed over substantially the full width of the flanges.

In the operation of the device, when the drawer is m its inner or clomd position, the weight of the drawer and its contents will be more or less evenly distributed on the lower rollers of the travelling support.

en the drawer is pulled out, the travelling'support is caused to travel outwardl therewith and at substantially half the spec of the drawer, by reason of the rolling engagement of the rollers with both the stationary rails and drawer rails. The overhanging weight of the drawer when pulled out will tend to tip downwardly the projecting, outer end of the travelling su port and raise the inner end thereof, thus p acing the pressure downwardly on the outer and middle lower rollers and u wardly on the upper rollers of the trave in support. When the drawer has been pull out to the limit, the middle, lower rollers 20 will be substantially at the outer end of the stationary track 10, and in the inward and outward movement of the drawer, these rollers travel back and forth from this position to a position substantially midway between the ends of the stationary track. These middle, lower rollers 20, therefore, have to sustain a great portion of the load and weight in the operation of the drawer and this they are much better able to do without serious wear and deformation ofthe stationary track rails, by reason of their greater width and disposition, as explained, so as to bear on the flanges of the rails for practically their full width and close up to the fixed anchorage of these flanges.

As usual in suspensions of this sort, stop devices are provided to arrest both the drawer and the travelling support at the intended limits of their outward movements. The stops for the travelling support may be of any usual or suitable construction, the stops shown for this purpose consisting of dogs 30 pivoted between their ends on the upper vertical flanges of the bars 13 with their front ends adapted to slide against the under sides of the upper flanges of the stationary rails 10. When the travelling su port is pulled out nearly to its limit, the heavier, inner ends of the dogs 30 will throw the outer ends of the dogs up into slots 31 in the front ends of the 11 per flanges of the rails so that the front en of the dogs will strike the front edges 32 of these slots 31 and thus arrest the outward movement of the travelling support. The dogs can be swung on their pivots to clear the stops 32 to permit the removal of the travelling support from the stationary track when this is desired.

The stops for limiting the outward movementof the drawer on the travelling sup- 65 port preferably consist of spring actuated catches 33 pivoted at their inner ends on the .upper of the bars 13 and havin upwardly projecting outer ends 34 whic are normall held by the catch springs in the paths 0 fixed sto s 35 on the opposite sides of the drawer. shown, the spring for each catch consists of a ring wire bent around the catch pivot wig one end of the spring entering a hole in an inwardly projectin lug 37 on the adjacent bar 13 and bevelled and the fixed stop plates 35 on thedrawer are inclined forwardly and downwardly, as shown, so that when inserting the drawer into the suspension, these stops on the drawer will engage the bevelled ends of the catches and depress the catches and ride over them. When the drawer is ulled outwardly, the front ends of the fixe stops 35 on the drawer will strike the projections 34 of the catches which will thus arrest the outward movement of the drawer. Preferably the rear edges of the catch projections 34 are notched as shown at 40, and the front edges of the drawer stops 35 are ada ted to enter these notches and thus prevent t e possibility of the drawer bein accidentally lifted out of engagement wit and passing over the catches, in the normal outward movements of the drawer.

This drawer stop arrangement is adapted for use with drawers, such for example as tabulating card drawers, where the upper edges of the side walls of the drawer are substantially flush with the top of the front head, or the sides are substantially as deep as the drawer o ning in the front of the cabinet. In such cases the drawer is not capable of siflicient vertical play in the drawer openingof the cabinet to allow a fixed stop on the drawer to ride or pass over a fixed sto on the travelling su port when inserting the drawer into the cabinet. Therefore, fixed stops such as employed with drawers having low sides cannot be used. The depressible spring-actuated catches arranged at the front of the travelling support as described, do not require any vertical play of the drawer in the cabinet for their operation.

I claim:

1. A suspension for drawers and analogous devices, comprising a stationary track, a movable track and an intermediate travelling track interposed between said stationary and movable tracks and movable relatively to both of them, and rollers carried by said intermediate track and arranged to roll 5 one of said tracks toward t e other at least to the vertical plane of the portion of the intermediate track farthest removed laterally from said one track.

2. A suspension for drawers and analogous devices, comprising a stationary track, a movable track and an intermediate travelling track movable relatively to both said stationary and movable tracks and having a vertical wall disposed and movable between portions of said stationary and movable tracks at opposite sides of said vertical wall, rollers carried by said intermediate track and arranged to roll on said other tracks, at least one of said rollers having a tread in rolling engagement with one of said first two mentioned tracks and extending laterally from said one track toward the other at least to the vertical plane of the face of said verti cal wall farthest removed laterally from said one track.

3. A suspension for drawers and analogous devices, comprising a stationary track, a movable track and an intermediate travelling track movable relatively to both said stationary and movable tracks and having a vertical wall disposed and movable between portions of said stationary and movable tracks at opposite sides of said vertical wall, rollers carried by said intermediate track and arranged to roll on said other tracks, at least one of said rollers having a tread in rolling engagement with one of said first two mentioned tracks and extending laterally therefrom through said vertical wall to the side thereof away from said one track.

4. A suspension for drawers and analogous devices, comprising a stationary track, a movable track and an intermediate travelsaid movable track and said web of said sta tionary track, and bearin rollers journalled on said intermediate tra and arranged to roll on said movable track and the upper and lower flanges of said stationary track, at least one of said rollers having a tread in rolling engagement with said movable track and extending therefrom to the opposite side of said vertical wall of the intermediate track for rolling engagement with one flange of said stationary track in close proximity to the web of thestationary track.

6. A suspension for drawers andanalogous devices, comprising a stationary track, a movable track and an intermediate travelling track movable relatively to both said stationar and movable tracks, said stationfly track aving a web and upper and lower anges projecting laterall from said web respectively above and be ow said movable track, and said intermediate track having connected upper and lower vertical flanges which are offset laterally relatively to each other, said upper flange bein movable between said mova 1e track and said web of the stationary track, bearing rollers j onrnalled on the upper flange of said intermediate track and arranged to -roll on said movable track and on the bottom of the upper flange of the stationary track, and a bearing roller journalled on the lower flange of the intermediate track and arranged to roll on the-bottom of the movable track and on the lower flange of the stationary track, said last mentioned roller having a tread extending from said movable track to thefar side of said upper flange of the intermediate track.

VICTOR A. GRONBERG. JAMES R. JONES.

ling track interposed between said stationary and movable tracks and movable relatively to both of them, and rollers carried by said intermediate track and arranged to roll on said stationary and movable tracks, at least one of said rollers having a tread in rolling engagement with said movable track and extending laterally therefrom toward said stationary track at least to the vertical plane of the portion of the intermediate track farthest removed laterally from said movable track.

5. A suspension for drawers and analogous devices, comprising a stationary track, a movable track and an intermediate travelling track movable relatively to both said stationary and movable tracks, said stationary track having a web and upper and lower flanges projecting laterally from said web respectively above and below said movable track, and said intermediate track having a 66 vertical wall disposed and movable between disposed and 

